I’ve had a recent surge of love for this fresh and graphic color combination! I usually don’t favor yellow on its own, but in combination with the grounding and calming quality of grey it feels very “now”, very architectural. I’m considering a little painting project in my house with this combo…we’ll see, we’ll see….

I totally freaked out was pleasantly surprised when I found this amazing Vintage Celine Blouse at last month’s Randolph Street Antique Market! It’s the perfect combination of fun & sophistication and I LOVE the bright floral pattern. I built this outfit around the blouse and the uniquely colorful background (it’s one of my favorite Chicago Pizza Joints) made the shoot even more playful.

{A little Saturday afternoon flower shopping at one of my favorite florists – A New Leaf – Peonies are the best!!}

{Saturday night was a very special evening. The annual “For The Love of Chocolate Gala” (hosted by The French Pastry School – my Alma) was an incredible event! Hundreds of black tie clad guests sipped bubbly, indulged in endless dessert options, danced, and mingled. Here I am with Gina and Christen…two of my chicas from Lovely Bakeshop.}

- February 24, 2012 -

Ahhhh….Biscotti (insert totally butchered beautiful Italian accent here)! Crunchy, delicious Italian baked goodness!! I don’t think there’s a better afternoon pick-me-up than a nice cup of coffee with the perfect Biscotti to dip into said coffee. It may come as a surprise to you that baking your own Biscotti from scratch isn’t as hard as it may seem. It IS a bit time consuming, due to the twice-baked nature of the beast (Bi-scotti = Twice-baked in Italian), but I think it’s totally worth it. Below is a little show and tell of my latest Biscotti baking & girly decorating adventure. Find the recipe Here. Enjoy!

{I find that getting all of your ingredients measured out and ready in the beginning, makes baking a lot more efficient!}

{Here they are…baked twice (with a nice cooling time between) and ready to be dipped in white chocolate. The chocolate bowl on the left was dyed pink with a bit of All-Natural red food coloring from India Tree.}

{Dipping in action…}

{It’s nom nom/dip dip time! I realize that I mayyyy have gone a little overboard with the pink & sprinkles…}

{I like my Biscotti a little on the wider/oval side. If you prefer yours more elongated and flat, just make sure you shape your dough log wide and flat before baking it!}

{Up close & personal.}

For those of you who love to get your Biscotti Fix, but don’t have the time or just aren’t into baking at home, I have the perfect Packaged Biscotti suggestion: Nonnie’s Biscotti! They are traditionally Italian-baked, crunchy perfection and come in a bunch of delicious flavors. I’m totally addicted to their Caramel Milk Chocolate Biscotti Bites….they’re mini bites of creamy caramel sweetness (for the record – no, I’m not paid by Nonnies…I really just love their products.)

Here are some Nonnies in action at my house:

Ok, I’m off to get a snack! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. See you back here on Monday, Lovelies!

- February 23, 2012 -

This week’s manicure just screams fun, doesn’t it?! I was in the mood for fun, so I just went with it. Gold & Hot Pink is a favorite of mine (right up there with Black & Gold and Teal & Gold.) I’m sure it’s more than clear by now that I love all things Gold….I might need to start branching out into some different metallics. Speaking of, has anyone seen or heard of a true ROSE-Gold nail color yet?!?